Oil And Water Still Don’t Mix

It has been two months since British oil company giant, BP, had one of their wells in the Gulf of Mexico explode, killing 11 employees and spewing unimaginable amounts of oil into the surrounding waters. It has become the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history. No one can really even guess as to the extent of the damage caused thus far and how bad the future effects will be.

A few attempts to cap the ever-gushing monster have been futile, and Congress has grilled BP officials constantly about fixing the mega-mess. But still the oil comes and little by little spreads its deadly results in the water, under the water, and onto the shorelines of an area still trying to recover from the results of Hurricane Katrina.

Angry and frightened citizens are facing what some feel will be a literal end to the region’s economy and their entire way of life. In some cases, they may be exactly right if something is not done and fast! The President has proclaimed that the well will be stopped and the area will be even better ultimately than before. But words don’t stop a mile deep ruptured oil well. Physical solutions and actions do!

BP said it has spent over $2 billion in 2 months trying to deal with the disaster and trying to give aid to people whose businesses have been effected. Again, no one can predict what astronomical figure will be reached before this all becomes a sad nightmare of American history.

Many spiritual lessons can be learned from the BP situation. The obvious one might be Proverbs 27:1 where the writer warned his son, “Do not boast about tomorrow,For you do not know what a day may bring forth.” No one saw this tragedy coming and no one ever imagined something of this extent, and this difficult to contend with. And the entire world is no doubt perplexed that America’s resources and ingenuity has not been able to plug a single and relatively small hole under water for two months.

One other spiritual consideration has to do with the economic factor – the aspect that concerns most people the most. Billions are being lost and spent with the tally rising every minute to numbers that, again, no one can begin to predict. Few would now argue that the economical damage is simply off the chart. While this is true, there is a limit. Eventually there will be a resolution. There will be a finite number assigned of the final cost to BP and those hurt so badly by their underwater spill. But what some might be unaware of, or even disagree with, is that no matter what the final tab comes in at, it cannot begin to compare to the value of saving even one human soul from eternal judgement.

Romans 5:8 reveals what Christ did to save man from sin’s power and penalty despite the rebellion of the entire race. But in Mark chapter eight, He revealed the contrast between the material value of the entire world versus the soul of just one lost sinner for whom He died. In verse 36 the Savior asked the question of all questions and the one that separates what is ultimately important and what is not. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

The bottom line and biblical reality is this. The eternal destiny of the eleven souls alone who died when BP’s oil well went up in flames are more valuable than whatever price tag is placed on the spill – even if the black gold fills all the oceans of the earth!

Bill Breckenridge